Red Sox, Hanrahan blow lead in ninth

Thursday

Apr 11, 2013 at 6:00 AMApr 11, 2013 at 6:08 AM

Having just survived two of the most miserable baseball seasons in memory, Red Sox fans have little tolerance for failure. That's something Joel Hanrahan found out Wednesday night when he blew his first save as Boston's closer and walked off the field to a round of boos, not that there were too many people left in the cold, wet ballpark by then.

By Bill Ballou TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Having just survived two of the most miserable baseball seasons in memory, Red Sox fans have little tolerance for failure.

That's something Joel Hanrahan found out Wednesday night when he blew his first save as Boston's closer and walked off the field to a round of boos, not that there were too many people left in the cold, wet ballpark by then.

“I probably would have given the same reception,” Hanrahan said after his bad ninth inning cost the Red Sox an 8-5 loss to the Orioles. “They sat through the rain delay, then we hit those two home runs — to lose a game that way is not fun. But this is Game 8 and we've got a long season ahead of us.”

It was a long night, interrupted by 43 minutes in rain delays, and seemed as though it would end in another Boston victory.

It was tied, 3-3, heading into the sixth. Daniel Nava and Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit consecutive home runs with two outs to give the Sox a 5-3 lead, a margin the bullpen protected brilliantly for three innings.

The Red Sox got one inning apiece out of Koji Uehara, Junichi Tazawa and Andrew Bailey, then on came Hanrahan, a perfect 3 for 3 in saves to start his Sox career.

However, for the second straight game, he gave up a home run to the first hitter he faced. This time, it was Chris Davis and it was a 5-4 game.

No big deal, right?

Hanrahan got two quick outs after that before giving up a soft single to No. 8 hitter Ryan Flaherty, who had struck out in each of his three previous at-bats. Hanrahan then walked Nolan Reimold and Nate McLouth to load the bases for Manny Machado.

A wild pitch brought in the tying run. Machado followed with a homer over the Green Monster and it was an 8-5 final.

“It's not the first time I've blown a save and it's not going to be the last,” Hanrahan said. “I was probably trying to make things happen with my arm instead of trusting my mechanics. As athletes, we try to slow things down, but it's something that's not easy.”

Farrell lamented the walk to McLouth, which came on a 3-2 pitch that was close. Still, an effective closer shouldn't unravel over one call, and that's what happened. In Monday's opener here, Hanrahan surrendered a homer to Adam Jones, and Wednesday night it was Davis, so it's not like he's being hammered by pinch hitters.

Still, walking the No. 9 hitter, Reimold, is inexcusable.

Coming over from the National League may be a wakeup call for Hanrahan, Farrell said in so many words.

“He's making his way through the (American) league,” the manager added, “and there is power up and down the lineup. In the AL East, location is key.”

Baltimore also got a home run from Nick Markakis. That came off Sox starter Ryan Dempster, who went the first five innings before rain caused a 43-minute delay.

It was the same for the Orioles' Jake Arrieta — five and out after the rain.

Dempster should have been in line for the win, as two of the three Baltimore runs were unearned.

The Orioles got one of them in the first on an error by Jacoby Ellsbury and another in the fourth on Jackie Bradley Jr.'s first major league miscue.

Boston's early runs were built around a soft triple by Ellsbury and a double by Saltalamacchia, who was 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and the homer.

Uehara, Tazawa and Bailey combined to give up no hits and one walk and strike out five in their three innings. Hanrahan pitched to seven hitters; five of them reached base.

Last year, the Red Sox bullpen cost the team 18 likely victories with blown saves. If their fans seemed a little impatient with the new guy Wednesday night, that's why.

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